Anybody used the Nopod?

[Bassism]

Has anybody used the Nopod? http://figitalrevolution.com/the-no-pod/

I'm quite intrigued by the idea. Anything that helps to get a few more stops is welcome in my books.

If anybody has tried it, how effective is it?

Also, it seems to me like it might be a little bit of a pain in use. Stopping to slip the thing under my foot for every photo might get old pretty quickly. His solution with the belt or the Y-strap looks pretty effective, but then I wonder if it would be annoying having that tension every time you lift the camera to your eye.

If I end up springing for a Y-strap, I'll probably pick one up for the few dollars it's worth. But it doesn't seem to have been mentioned much, either around here or elsewhere on the internet. Is it a dog? Has nobody tried one?

 

[Nh3]

If you want to get entangled in the "no pod" and fall face down to the ground and break your arm and your Leica then by all means. Secondly, please don't buy a Y-Strap its extremely nerdy.

 

[drewbarb]

I'm not using the No Pod, but for years I've been carrying a piece of string tied to a knob that threads into the mount, which I use the same way. This is an old idea, and works well. The tension you get from pulling the string taught will indeed give you an extra stop or two. I just stand on the end and pull against that. I've heard of people tying the end to their belts and such; as long as the other end is basically anchored somewhere so you have something to pull against, the principle works fine.

 

[bmattock]

Has anybody used the Nopod? http://figitalrevolution.com/the-no-pod/

I'm quite intrigued by the idea. Anything that helps to get a few more stops is welcome in my books.

If anybody has tried it, how effective is it?

Also, it seems to me like it might be a little bit of a pain in use. Stopping to slip the thing under my foot for every photo might get old pretty quickly. His solution with the belt or the Y-strap looks pretty effective, but then I wonder if it would be annoying having that tension every time you lift the camera to your eye.

If I end up springing for a Y-strap, I'll probably pick one up for the few dollars it's worth. But it doesn't seem to have been mentioned much, either around here or elsewhere on the internet. Is it a dog? Has nobody tried one?

It works fine. He didn't invent jack. It was around in the 1930's. A piece of twine and a bolt that fits into the tripod bush of the camera. Buy one if you like, or make one yourself for like twenty cents.

 

[Nikon Bob]

I think it is a variation on the old idea of a piece of string attached to an eye bolt and the bolt threads into the tripod socket of the camera. You anchor the other end of the string with your foot and tension against the string. Never really tried that but made one up for a few cents years ago for the heck of it.

Bob

 

[thomasw_]

I confess to being an extreme nerd. I have used the BBB and and Y-strap and can only report very positive experiences. The Nopod interests me, too, as I shoot a lot in available light. For the money it costs, it doesn't seem like a big risk.

 

[newspaperguy]

Here's a cheaper alternative... and one that's less cumbersome too.

Buy a small dog/cat leash at the discount store (less than $5). Do not fasten it to the camera, instead slip your left hand (if you are right handed) through the loop in the 3/8" wide strap and support the camera in the usual manner.
Bring the camera to your eye and step on the trailing end. You are solid. Roll or bunch it into your pocket when done shooting.

 

[Bassism]

The y strap may be nerdy, but it's also the best solution I've found. I'm using a homemade kludge, but wouldn't mind something a bit higher in quality.

The string/leash options seem like a fairly good alternative, but I feel like having to set the right tension on the rope would be a pain. While I'm framing I'm often moving up and down and would have to reset the rope for everytime. This is why the elastic string sounds like a good idea to me.

As long as the concept is sound, which it seems like it is, I wouldn't mind Stephen's solution. If I were already buying a y strap, the extra 6 dollars doesn't seem like much of an issue. It would probably cost me that much in gas driving around trying to find somewhere to source something similar.

 

[uhligfd]

Wow, 6 $ and a patent application for something resembling what we have used for ages; a string monopod: buy maybe 10 feet of string (use what you have sitting around the house ...) tie, step into with your foot, sling around camera, tighten. Cost : near zero.

What a joke of another product from China that we do not really need.

 

[Gradskater]

Wow, I am surprised at all of the negativity about the nopod. I have one, it works, and it doesn't cost all that much. Could I have made one? Sure. But I like the guys site and the information he provides about working with film scans, so I thought I would support his endeavor.

I made a string-pod (bolt, string, and a washer) so I can compare the two methods. I use a carabiner to attach either the nopod or the string-pod to an eyebolt which is screwed to the tripod mount of the camera, and I will say that I like the stretchiness of the nopod better. Its easier to adjust my shooting height without being committed to a certain string length.

The stiffness of the nopod's shock cord keeps the loop open. Its quick to step through the loop, take the shot, then take your foot out of the loop. You obviously do not walk around with it around your foot.

I found that looping it over your thumb didn't work as well as screwing it into the tripod mount.

The vibration dampening abilities of the homemade stringpod and the nopod are about the same, but I find the nopod quicker and more convenient to use.

4 pictures I took using the nopod, all 1/4 second.

 

[Bassism]

Nice, thanks for the samples Gradskater!
I often find myself shooting at 1/4 with nothing at all, it looks like it's quite effective.

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

If you want to get entangled in the "no pod" and fall face down to the ground and break your arm and your Leica then by all means. Secondly, please don't buy a Y-Strap its extremely nerdy.

Posting on an internet photography forum is also extremely nerdy!